Bill and letter file



(No Model.)

S. B. WHITESIDE, BILL AND LETTER FILE.

Patented Aug. 6, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY B. Wl-IITESIDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS F. MOGARRY, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

Bl LL'AN o' LETTER FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,057, dated August 6,1895.

Application filed October 1, 1894- fierial No. 524,613. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY B. WHITESIDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Bill and Letter File, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of bill and letter files in which the papers are held by divided wire staples, one end of each of the staples being fixed in a suitable base and the other end being fixed upon a movable bar and held in place by suitable means. In most files of this kind the papers to be filed are required to be perforated with two perforations, which are at the same distance apart as the staples. Some files of this class have but one file-staple.

My'invention includes a bill-file having on the under side of its base-plate, at the end opposite that upon which the file-staple is fixed, aspring perforating appliance adapted to form a support for that end of the baseplate and arranged to be operated by downward pressure upon that end of the baseplate. The object of this arrangement is to enable the one desiring to file the bill or paper to perforate the paper and then place it upon thestaples with great facility and convenience. I accomplish these objects by means of the device described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved file ready to receive a bill or letter or other paper to be filed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the under side of the bill-file. Fig. 3 is a fragmental section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a fragmental section on line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail of the front of one of the punches.

A indicates the base-plate provided at its rear end with the divided staples B B.

b 6 indicate the'fixed upwardly-projecting tubular portions of the staples.

b 19 indicate themovable curved portions of the staples.

O is the punch-carrier and spring-support for the front end of the plate.

cc are the cutters or punches mounted upon the punch-carrier and projecting upward therefrom.

The punch-carrier 0 comprises a spring secured by the rear end to the bottom of the base-plate. 1

D indicates a paper-holder or guide-plate,

which is secured to the under side of the baseplate andis arranged between the punch-carrier and the base-plate to hold the paper in position while being perforated, and -is provided with two perforations at 61, arranged to allow the punches c c to play therethrough. The guide-plate D is preferably a spring,

so that its end can move toward the baseplate when pressed by the punch-carrier, and

from the base-plate to admit thicker paper. 65

paper when the perforatoris operated.

The under side of the base-plate is cutaway at the front end to form the gaging recess F, and gage-plates f are applied to serve, in addition to the walls of the recess, to form a stop for the bill or other paper when it is in- 80' sorted between the guide-plate and the baseplate before being perforated. The recess F extends from one edge of the base-plate almost to the other edge thereof, a portion of the base-plate at the right side of the file be- 8 ing left intact to form a stop f to cause the perforations in the several papers to be made at a uniform distance from one side of the papers, so that in practice when filed the papers will be even with each other at one edge. 0

The punches are tubular at their cutting ends and are formed into a V shape at such ends, so that when the punch is pressed against the paper the paper will be cut gradually, the whole amount of work done by the 5 perforating devices not being done at one instant. This form of cutting-edge 1s very easily sharpened with a file if the same should become dull, and the force required to perforate the paper is greatly reduced, and at the same time there is no burr formed around the margin of the perforation, as is frequently TOO the case where the punch is fiat at its cuttingend.

I prefer to arrange the punches with the V- shaped groove extending parallel with the length of spring 0, so that the points 0' of the punches will all engage the paper at the same time.

c 0 indicate buttons of some soft materialsuch as india-rubber or leather-which will prevent the punch-carrier from marring the desk upon which the file is placed.

0 c are corresponding buttons at the other end; but I lay no claim of invention to the combination of the rear-support buttons with the perforator.

The upright sections 1) b" of the staples are fixed to the base-plate and the movable portions or sections 7) b of the staples are mounted upon a rocking bar G, which is pivoted by pivots h at a point above the base-plate to two upwardly-projecting trunnion-seats II II. A staple-holding spring I is fixed to the baseplate and is provided with an upwardly-projecting curved portion or hump 45 arranged between the trunnionsr The rocking bar is provided on its under side with a downward punches through the paper.

projection g, radial from the axis of the trunnion pivots and so located with relation to the other parts of the file, and more particularly to the spring, the bar, the pivots 71 h, shoulder g, and the movable and fixed portions of the staples, that as the file is opened and closed I the projection will pass over the hump from side to side thereof, and when the file is closed the projection is behind the hump z'of the spring, and when the file is open the projection g is in front of such hump, so that its movement upon opening or closing the file will swing the projection over the hump of the spring and thus force the spring downward until the projection has passed the hump. A stop is arranged to intercept the rocking bar G when it is swung sufficiently to bring the staples into their fully opened position. This stop is formed either by a portion J of the base-plate which intercepts the radial projection g, or by the shoulder g of the rocking bar which engages the baseplate when the file is closed. The hump 1', projection g, and stop J are so arranged with relation to each other that when the staples are fully opened the spring clamps the projection against the stop, thus holding the movable sections of the staples firm when they are in their own position.

In practical operation the file lies upon the table or desk T (a fragment of which is shown) and rests upon the buttons 0 o 0 c The paper to be filed is then inserted by one hand between the guide-plate D and the base-plate A, and the end of the base-plate is then pressed down by the other hand and thus forces the When the pressure is removed,the spring-punch carrier lifts the end of the base-plate and the paperis released. The paper thus perforated is ready to be placed upon the file-pins. The curved movable portion of the file-pins are then thrown back, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the paper is tiled in the ordinary manner.

In operating the movable curved portions of the file-staples the same are first thrown back, thus swinging the rocking bar G forward and causing the projection g to press down upon the spring I and pass over the hump t of the spring and swing forward until it comes into contact with the stop .I at the same time the shoulder g engages the baseplate. The spring presses upward, thus clamping the projection 9 between it and the stop J and holding the movable sections of the staples firm until they are again swung forward to close the file, and when swung forward theprojectiong again passes over the hump of the spring and the spring then presses upward against the projection, thus holding the movable parts of the staple in their closed position.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The bill and letter file set forth comprising a base plate having at one end the two divided staples and their operative mechanism, and having on its under side at the other end the perforating appliance adapted to form a support for such other end and arranged to be operated by a downward pressure upon the base plate and having two perforating devices arranged at a distance apart equal to the distance between the file staples.

2. The bill and letter file set forth having on the under side of its base plate at the end opposite that upon which the staples are fixed, a perforating appliance adapted to form a support for that end of the base plate and arranged to be operated by a downward pressure upon that end of the base plate.

3. The combination of the perforated base plate, the punch carrier and spring support arranged beneath the end of the base plate and provided with punches arranged to enter the perforations in the base plate.

4. The combination of the base plate; the punch carrier and spring support secured to the under side of the base plate and provided with the punch projecting upward therefrom the guide plate arranged between the punch carrier and the base plate and perforated to allow the punch to play thercthrough.

5. The combination of the perforated base plate, the punch carrier and spring support arranged beneath the end of the base plate and provided with a punch projecting upward therefrom, and the spring guide plate arranged between the punch carrier and the base plate and perforated to allow the punch to play thercthrough.

6. The bill file comprising the perforated base plate having its under side cut away at the front end to form the gage recess; the punch carrier and spring support arranged beneath the end of the base plate and provided with a punch projecting upward there-- IIO from; the spring guide plate arranged between the punch carrier and the base plate and perforated to allow the punch to play therethrough.

7. The combination of the perforated base plate, the punch carrier and spring support arranged beneath the end of the base plate and provided with a punch tubular at its cutting end and formed into V shape at such end and arranged to enter the perforation in the m base plate.

SIDNEY B. VVHITESIDE.

Witnesses:

OSCAR P. WILLMANN, M. E. ARCHER. 

